


I Wasn't Supposed to Fall in Love With You

by merthur_at_221b



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Implied! Aokaga, M/M, at first at least lol, but not really, slight angst, slightly OOC, unrequited pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-01 01:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1038532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merthur_at_221b/pseuds/merthur_at_221b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko writes a letter to Kagami, but someone else intercepts it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Kagami Taiga_

_I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you._

_That, I can assure you, was not part of my plan. I was supposed to be your friend, your teammate. Your shadow. I’m not quite sure when I started to desire something more from you, more with you. But I do know how (embarrassingly) long it took me to realise that what I wanted could never be. How naive I was to think that you would ever consider allowing something to come between you and Aomine-kun. You had finally, at long last, found happiness. He had helped you find it. Aomine-kun was the main reason for you to fix your brotherhood with Himuro. He helps you improve your basketball skills. (Which I don’t think you realise how special and singular that makes you. He has never extended such an offer before. I doubt that, before you, the thought ever seriously crossed his mind.) And you have healed him as well. You were the true reason that the Generation of Miracles were able to fix their friendship. (You really don’t understand how valuable that was. I can guarantee that every single one of us has felt incomplete and lonely for the past two years, because we had broke our team off in such a convoluted and twisted way. It wasn’t a clean end, it was full of unsaid conversations and words we regretted saying. You fixed all six of us, Kagami. Don’t underestimate how much that meant.) We still have some rough edges, but we have hewn new nooks inside each other that are just like home to us. You gave Aomine-kun back the light in his eyes when he plays basketball. It hurt me to see him so empty. But now that he has honed you into a worthy opponent, the game has become appealing and fun to him again. When you two team up, on or off the court, you two are unstoppable. Unopposed and powerful, completing each other in the messiest and most flawed, raw, and beautiful way possible. I sound bitter, don’t I? Honestly, I couldn’t feel happier for you or Aomine-kun. I just wrote this because I felt I owed a reason to you. Why I’ve been distancing myself more (not that you noticed. I’m not insulting you, just pointing out the truth.) and becoming more isolated from the team. They don’t deserve that sort of treatment, and neither do you. My grandmother recently got admitted to the hospital for her terminal cancer. My parents have been busy with work these past few months, so they aren’t aware of the situation. Since her time is dwindling, I’m taking a week off from school–and by extension, practice–to spend time with her. Adia already knows, and has given me a worksheet of exercises I can complete with minimal resources. (My grandmother has requested to meet you, by the way. You can feel free to call me if you would like to visit. It’s completely your decision.) When I return from my mini hiatus, I will be back to how I usually act. It won’t affect you much, seeing as you wouldn’t have noticed anything wrong in the first place. But I’ll make sure that I still stay your close friend, still go to Maji Burger with you after school. Aomine has the rest of the day with you, and you have the weekends for yourself. It will be as it always has. And you needn’t worry yourself with feeling uncomfortable or self conscious around me. Because the little break should do one of three things. I should have either come to the realization that all I feel is infatuation and my care for you will subside to an average level, that of a friend’s. I will have time to bury the love I feel into the deepest recesses of my mind where it will lurk, never to resurface. Or the pain that the distance from you brings me to the point where I am forced to discipline myself into abandoning any hopes of a romantic relationship with you, to save myself. Honestly, I’m thinking a strange combination of all three will happen._

_I never meant to fall in love with you. I regret it completely and totally, because it hurts and is pain in it’s purest form. But regardless, you shouldn’t feel awkward or guilty or anything like that, because you are not at fault or responsible in any way. I know you’ll try to somehow blame yourself–don’t. I’ll regret writing this more than I already do. And I’m sorry I didn’t have the bravery to confront you in person._

_But I suppose I didn’t have the courage to confront you in words, either._

_But I suppose I’m okay with that. As long as I know what I would have said, that makes me feel okay._

_Ha. I’ve been reduced to lying to myself._

_Cowardice is an evil and fickle demon to try to wrangle on your own._

_Kuroko Tetsuya_

_(P.S.–On the off chance that you do find this, bypassing by everything else–I can see the way you two look at each other. I have never seen such a look of utter euphoria and joy before I saw you and Aomine play together. I haven’t seen his smile in years, and you gave it back to him. I’m not an idiot.)_

\---

Hyuga sharply drew in a breath. “I really don’t think we should have read that.”

Although he couldn’t see them, he could tell that Adia and Izuki agreed with him. This was too personal, too intimate and private that Hyuga felt a wave of shame wash over him.

“Well, should we do anything about this? Talk to him, maybe, or….” Adia trailed off. The three looked up from the paper at the same moment, hearing a squeak. They just saw a flash of light blue hair and the edge of a bag.

“Shit,” Izuki mumbled under his breath. He made a move to go after Kuroko, but Adia and Hyuga grabbed him.

“Just leave him for now. He probably doesn’t want to be approached by anyone right now. Let him cool off, we’ll see him tomorrow. He doesn’t take off until Sunday,” Adia said calmly. Izuki nodded.

Hyuga ran his fingers through his hair.

“I think Kagami deserve’s to read this, even if it means losing Kuroko’s trust.”

\---

 


	2. Kagami's Reaction

"Hey, Kagami," Hyuga said to the redhead on their way out of the gym. Practice had just ended. Kuroko was a few steps ahead, and didn't hear their conversation.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice as loud and booming as it usually was.

Well. Kuroko wouldn't hear his side of the conversation.

"Coach wanted me to give this to you. I don't suggest looking at it until you get home. Or mention it to Kuroko. Just this once," he said, adding the last bit seeing Kagami's opening mouth. "Just trust us for once, okay? It wouldn't kill you." Hyuga handed him the envelope that held Kuroko's letter.

The envelope was blank, so Kagami had no idea what was inside it.

Even though he had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, Hyuga left the two first years to go to Magi burger, as the usually did.

He waited until he saw Kagami tuck the envelope safely in his bag and catch up to Kuroko before he turned around. When he did, Izuki was waiting for him.

"I really hope we don't screw everything up," Izuki confided, revealing that he and Hyuga shared similar feelings.

"Well, the only thing to do is wait and hope for the best. Also probably do some form of comforting," Adia said, joining the two boys. They nodded at her, and the trio walked along. The silence was anything but comfortable, but was necessary. The weight of their decision weighing down over their heads.

Kagami tried to push the thought of the letter far away from him. So of course, all his efforts were in vain.

His mind was distracted from the conversation, or rather, the lack of it. Kuroko wasn't focusing either, so Kagami didn't feel bad when they both dropped out of trying to have a conversation. It wasn't necessarily an awkward silence. Rather, it was a comfortable one, where they just walked along. And after they got their food, they ate in almost silence. They left after they were finished (How did Kagami and Kuroko pace themselves to eat so they end at the same time?) and walked to the corner where their paths usually diverged.

"As od tomorrow, I'm taking a week off of school and practice. I need to take care of some family business. Adia is going to tell the whole team tomorrow, but I figured I should mention it to you," KUroko said quietly.

Family business? Kagami's eyebrows knit together in worry. But he didn't pry. Kuroko knew he could confide in Kagami.

All he said was, "Alright. You can always call my cell if you need anything, alright?" before waving a farewell. Kuroko waved back, then disappeared into the crowd, an indistinguishable face among dozens.

Kagami sat in his room, holding the envelope in his hands. Honestly, he should be doing his homework. What was he doing? Trying to not chicken out of opening the letter Hyuga had given him.  
What could it be that he couldn't even mention the fact that he was even given a letter? Was he being ejected from the team? Were his grades too low? Was he going back to America?

Kagami took several deep breathes. He tried to calm down, tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous.

Steeling himself, Kagami opened the envelop, step one.

Next, he took out the letter, step two.

Kagami Taiga

That was Kuroko's handwriting. What was going on?

Finally, he opened the envelope all the way.

Kagami sat back, stunned. This was probably the least likely thing he expected.

Kuroko had a crush on him? And not just any crush by the sound of his letter. He was shocked.

Also, a little pleased. Actually, very pleased. He really like Kuroko, and had for a few months. He did experience similar emotions to the ones Kurko described. That could mean a variety of things.

More importantly, how the hell could Kuroko think that he had a thing for Aomine?

How did he manage to convey that? Sure they went on a date, but it turned out pretty piss poor and they came to a mutual decision to just be friends.

Besides, that happened months ago. What the hell could Kuroko even be thinking?

It was actually really sad, in a sense. Kuroko thought that Kagami didn't want him, so he tried to make every single excuse to explain why. He honestly thought that he was so undeserving of kagami that Kagami had fallen for Aomine.

And his grandmother had cancer.

She had cancer, and never once did Kuroko mention it.

Never once did Kagami entertain the thought.

Maybe their relationship problems weren't totally one sided.

But right now, he couldn't let his thoughts get cloudy. He knew he really did like Kuroko, maybe even love him, but he needed to let Kuroko know.

Absent-mindedly, he tugged on the chain circling his neck.

Aw, fuck it. How was he supposed to do this?

With great reluctance, Kagami picked up his phone and started scrolling through his contacts.

I sweat, Kise, if I regret this choice you will as well.

He found the blonde boy's number, and selected it. He took a breath, but then choose 'call.'

Once Kise picked up with a, "Oi, Kagamacchi, what's with the late night calls? I was on a date with Yukiocchi~!"

Before he could complain anymore, Kagami cut to the chase. "I need some help. It's with Kuroko. Nothing bad, just confusing."

He was met with silence. After a few seconds, Kise finally responded. "I'm not cutting my date short, but I'll be over to your place in an hour or so." Kagami felt relief wash over him. "Thanks, kise. I owe you-"

"If I discover that you hurt him, in any way, I will make sure you are pounded to the ground."

The phone clicked off.

Kagami just sighed in defeat. Damn those Miracle bastards. They're all confusing as hell. At least they have their friends as interpreters.


	3. Kise and Kasamtsu Visit

"Oi, Kagamacchi! Let me in!" Kise yelled from outside Kagami's door. Kagami rolled off the couch and moved to the door. He had been try (read: failing) to do his homework, constantly reaching out to touch the letter, on the table in front of his workspace.

When he opened the door, Kagami was met with a surprisingly dressed up Kise and Kasamatsu.

Wait.

And Kasamatsu?

Okay. He supposed he could deal with that. And if that was the only way to get Kise's help, then so be it.

Kagami stepped aside, and said, "Hello, and thanks again. Sorry if I cut your date short," He addressed the last bit towards Kasamatsu, who dismissed him with a nod and hand wave.

"No, I decided to come. Once I heard that Ryouta-kun had entertained the possibility of beating you up, I couldn't pass up even a slight chance, now could I?" His words had no venom, and were delivered through a mouth with dancing corners. Kagami smiled widely.

"No, I suppose not. Even though I could totally take both of you."

"No, you don't ask for my help and then flirt with my boyfriend," Kise complained, sitting in the recently vacated seat of the couch.

Playfully, Kasamatsu and Kagami clung to each other.

"No, I love him! You can tear us apart!" Kagami yelled indignantly.

Kasamatsu followed up with, "We will prevail over all! Our bond is stronger than your evil forces!"

Kise face started to redden. He knew they were playing, but damn they were irritating.

Laughing, Kasamatsu let go of Kagami and sat next to Kise. After placing a soft kiss on his cheek, he chuckled, "Sorry, Ryouta-kun. You know I have eyes for only you."

Kagami fake gagged while Kise just smiled widely. "I always thought that Kise was the awkwardly romantic one out of you two. Is every relationship surrounding the Generation of Miracles full of surprises?" Kagami was seated on the floor opposite the couple on the couch.

"Have you seen Midorimacchi and Takaocchi when they think no one's looking? Really, have you?" Kise asked, leaning forward. He could gossip about this the rest of the night. Maybe it'll turn into a sleepover! Maybe Yukiocchi would braid his hair!

"No." The other two chorused.

Kise shook the stray thoughts from his head. "It's rot-your-teeth cute. Kind of disgusting, actually.I haven't seen Midorimacchi smile like that before. And Takaocchi always plays with Midorimacchi's fingers. They even do that stupid nose-nuzzling thing once in a while. And one time, they were at this park, and this girl was kind of talking to Takaocchi. So Midorimacchi walked behind him, put his arms around his shoulders, and said 'Mine.' He actually said the word, 'Mine.' out loud to that girls face. And then she said it was a misunderstanding, she was at the park with someone else too. Her girlfriend." Kise smirked at that.

"You're kidding me," Kagami scoffed, leaning his head back.

Kasamatsu fake-coughed, "Gay magnet."

The three burst into giggles at that.

"I dare you to call him that when you have your next game against him," Kise said in between gasps of breath. It was directed towards Kagami. Feeling a little slap-happy (he forgot how much he liked these people. He blamed it on the constant competitions) he nodded his head in agreement.

"But," Kagami said, calming down. At his tone, the other two grew more serious. "I really do need your help."

"You've got our love and support no matter what you decide to do with your life."

"Yukiocchi! Stop it!" Kise screeched, hitting him in the face with a pillow.

Kasamatsu just held his arms up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry! I knew this was going to get serious, but we shouldn't let it get too heavy, right?"

Kagami nodded. "True."

The two just waited patiently for him to spit it out.

Kagami was thankful he was comfortable around these people. If he wasn't, this would be awkward.

Well, it would still be awkward. Just slightly less so.

"Well, Kuroko wrote me this letter. I don't think I was supposed to find it. But I didn't find it, Hyuga gave it to me. I don't know why he had it, but my guess is they found it and read it, then decided to give it to me. Anyway," Kagami said with an exaggerated sigh. The two he was with were looking more peeved that he was dancing around the subject. "Because of that, I don't really feel comfortable letting you read it. You can if you really want to, it's right there," he pointed towards the envelope, "but it just didn't feel right. In short, it said that he had really strong feelings for me, but he thought that I was dating Aomine, so he felt pretty guilty. And his grandmother that wants to meet me is hospitalized with terminal cancer. So he's going to take a few days off to visit her. In that time, one of three things will happen. I believe his exact words were..." Kagami screwed his eyes closed in concentration.

'You needn't worry yourself with feeling uncomfortable or self conscious around me. Because the little break should do one of three things. I should have either come to the realization that all I feel is infatuation and my care for you will subside to an average level, that of a friend's. I will have time to bury the love I feel into the deepest recesses of my mind where it will lurk, never to resurface. Or the pain that the distance from you brings me to the point where I am forced to discipline myself into abandoning any hopes of a romantic relationship with you, to save myself. Honestly, I'm thinking a strange combination of all three will happen.'

And yes, I like him too, a lot, but why all this? All the ignoring how he feels because he thinks he's being, I don't know, considerate? And why did he think Aomine and I–ugh! He's so confusing!" Kagami yelled the last bit, throwing himself on the floor. He rolled over slightly to look at Kise's indifferent face and Kasamatsu astonished one.

Kise and Kasamatsu just glossed over the 'terminal cancer' part.

Kise tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know exactly why, and you know exactly what you're going to do. You just didn't want to this alone. And he thought you and Aomine together because the tension between you two is pretty thick."

Kagami just sighed. Damn, Kise knew him too well. "Hey, I don't mean for that to happen! And about the other part...well, basically. I didn't really want to say, 'I need help confessing my undying love to one of your best childhood friends.' That would the situation even more uncomfortable that it already is."

Kasamatsu tried to lighten the situation with a joke. "Undying? Are you sure you want to compare your love to a zombie?" It was followed by a silence.

For some reason, Kagami just lost it. It started with a small chuckle, but eventually, it turned into one of those full-belly laughs, and eventually everyone was laughing because Kagami's heart was thirsting for flesh and why was this so funny? It really wasn't funny.

After a few minutes, everyone calmed down.

Kagami cocked his head to the side in thought. "Well, I don't know. I mean, I might. But probably not."

Then they started to stare at him.

Kise was straightforward about the next demand. "Describe it."

"Ehh?!"

"Honestly, don't even think about not doing it because you'll get embarrassed. It's us. Ryouta-kun once wrote a poem about fucking me. He submitted it into a competition. It won an award and was published in a huge magazine," Kasamatsu remarked. He didn't even blush or get uncomfortable when he said that.

Kise giggled a little. "They read it over the intercom as well. You were as bright as a cherry."

"Well, no shit! It was totally understandable under the circumstances!"

Kagami made the mistake of laughing, which drew their attention back to him.

He sighed, "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Two sets of voices answered him firmly.

"No."

Kagami couldn't meet their piercing eyes. Instead, he looked at his fingers. he forgot all his reservations, forgot everything. He just focused on recalling everything he ever felt for Kuroko.

It hit him like a ton of bricks.

What is this feeling?

"Well, it's a lot of little things. Like, whenever he says deep and awkward things, it's less annoying but more endearing. Whenever he smiles, I feel my heart rise and my throat close up a bit. Whenever he looks me in the eye, my stomach flips and my blood starts to boil. Whenever he isn't near me, I feel this nearly not-there tugging at my side, like something that should be there was taken away from me. Whenever he touches me, whether he's punching me in the face or giving me a fist bump, it feels like it's on fire for a few minutes. Whenever he falls asleep in class, it's somehow comforting to hear him breathing. It's just nice to know he's there. A bunch of other smaller things as well, like whenever he plays basketball, he looks like he's his happiest, at most at home. But a small part of me is upset that I can't make him that happy."  
By the end of his confession, Kagami was smiling to the floor. Despite his embarrassment, it was nice to relieve the weight that was crushing his chest.

But Kasamatsu and Kise were tsk-ing.

"Oh no," Kasamatsu said apologetically.

"He's really got it bad. Look at that lovey-dovey expression on his face!: Kise exclaimed.

"Are you guys mocking me?" Kagami exclaimed with indignation.

"Of course not, Bakagami," Kise teased, using his annoying nickname. "But you know what you're going to do now, right?"

Kagami nodded. He flipped open his phone to look at the clock.

"Wow, it's really late. If you guys want to, you can stay the night."

His eyes widened.

"Actually, no. Don't you dare sleep over. Because I need my sleep and my sanity to make it through this."

The two just got up and laughed.

Kise said, "Glad I didn't have to spell it out for you."

So they both left, and Kasamatsu and Kagami agreed to talk more often. As he shut the door, Kagami felt a sort of calm settle over him.

He was in love. And he wasn't alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Kagami awoke the next morning with nervous butterflies and a fretful mind. So after he rolled out of bed and took a shower, he tried to decide what a good time to call was. So eventually, following a huge breakfast and a bit of pacing, Kagami decided to call. It was after lunch by that point, so Kagami didn't have to worry about trying to deal with a hungry Kuroko, who had a surprisingly delicate metabolism.

He pulled out his found and found Kuroko's number. After hesitating over the option for a few seconds, he selected 'call.'

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Yes?" Came Kuroko's calm and polite voice.

For some reason, just hearing him say that made all the tension melt away. He was really a calming person, when he was off the court.

"Kuroko? I was wondering if I could come over today?" He asked, accidentally letting a note of nervousness in his voice.

Restraining himself from pointing it out, Kuroko reverted to his failsafe.

"Miss me already, Kagami-kun?" He teased lightly.

Kagami laughed. It's true, I do already miss him.

"Of course. I'm lost without my shadow," Kagami answered seriously.

Had he heard right? Had Kuroko actually gulped?

"That's very true. You are an idiot without proper guidance."

"Oi!"

"Well, because of the family business I have to take care of, I'll be at the local hospital. I'm visiting my grandmother. If you're fine with it, she'd like to meet you."

"Have you told her a lot of stories about me?"  
"Of course. I tell her about every time you made Momoi-san cry and tripped walking onto the court. I need to entertain her somehow, and you are a wealth of amusing stories."

"You know, this isn't exactly how you're supposed to treat your light," Kagami whined.

"I'm a shadow," Kuroko responded mysteriously.

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Kagami exclaimed.

"What does you being my light have to do with this?"

"You...have a point."

"Of course I do."

"Oi!"

Though he couldn't see, Kagami could tell that Kuroko was smiling.

"I'll meet you in the lobby of the hospital at 2:00, okay?"

"Okay. Is there a crash course I need on how to act around your grandmother? Does she come with a handbook like Akashi does?"

"Really? Comparing my hospitalized grandmother to Akashi? Well, don't mention that to her. And no, there isn't really anything you need to know. I'll explain her...condition...when you get here."

"Okay. Bye, Kuroko."

"Good-bye, Kagami-kun."

Kagami hung up the phone. For a few seconds, he stared at it's bright light as it dimmed. He had gotten so worked up about the letter, he had nearly forgotten how easy it was to be around Kuroko.

2 o'clock, huh? With the likely traffic delays on the train, he would barely make it if he left now.

"No time like the present," Kagami muttered to himself as he ran out the door. He locked it, then made his way to the train station.

He began to formulate a plan, a course of action. Should he try to explain what he felt with words? Should he just kind of attack Kuroko in a weird hug/kiss/bear way?

He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, so he didn't realise he was jogging straight into Midorima and Takao until he whacked into them.

"You know, if you're that annoyed by PDA you could have just gave us a disdainful glare and gone on with your day, not barreled into us," Midorima sneered adjusting his glasses. Takao just laughed and tugged on a lock of his own hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm on my way to the train station and wasn't watching where I was going."

"Yeah, that much was obvious."

"Shin-chan!"

"Okay, I really do have to get to the train station. Can I finish grovelling for mercy later?" Kagami asked, getting slightly irritated.

"Yeah, sure," Midorima said, but then Takao return him to the task he was doing before they got plowed into.

Blushing a little, Kagami began to make his way down the street. But he still wasn't paying attention.

Luckily, he made it onto the train without much of a hassle. Waiting for it to pull into his station, he began to scan the ads above the seats. A circus was in town, apparently. Next to an ad about injury insurance. Not foreboding at all.

After reading the article about why teenagers should remain abstinent until they're married for the fifth time (and the entire time, he just kept laughing internally. Oh, the worries of straight people.) The train finally pulled up to the hospital. He got off, and ran across the street. When he entered the lobby, his nose was hit with antiseptic scent that was specific to hospitals. The pure white of the room was almost blinding to him. When his eyes adjusted, he saw Kuroko immediately.

His face immediately brightened, despite his mouth still being in an 'indifferent' line.

Kagami strode to the desk. The petite women behind it looked up, somewhat annoyed that she was being disturbed.

"I'm here as a visitor, for…" He trailed off. He didn't even know Kuroko's grandmothers name. What a great friend he was.

But then again, he obviously didn't notice the crushing…crush...Kuroko had for him.

"For Kuroko Rin. He's a close friend," Kuroko stepped in, saving Kagami. Unfortunately, the nurse just looked expectantly at him. Apparently, she hadn't noticed Kuroko.

He sighed. Fighting a grin, Kagami just repeated Kuroko's words, "For Kuroko Rin. I'm visiting as a close friend."

She just pushed a clipboard towards him. "Room 507. Visiting hours end by five o'clock."

"Thank you," Kagami said as he signed his name. When he finished he turned towards his shorter friend.

"Lead the way."

Kuroko nodded. "Yes."

After the walked down the bright white hallway, their heels clacking on the tile floor, Kuroko finally broke the silence.

"My grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctors are still doing some determining of exactly where and what type, so she doesn't currently have a life expectancy number yet. Still, I thought that I should take some time off to spend it with her."

It sounded worse when he heard it out loud.  
His grandmother had cancer.

Kagami stopped in his tracks. Kuroko turned around to look at the redhead.

When he did, Kagami nearly broke.

Kuroko's eyes were unfocused and sad, hiding some terrible emotions behind them. He had bags under his eyes, and his expression was so desolate and lonely and broken.

Kagami, thoughtlessly, just opened his arms to the side. Not wholly open, but definitely leaving a large enough gap for a small person to fit into.

Kuroko rushed forward, and took refuge in the open arms. Kagami enveloped the boy, wrapping his arms around his shoulders while Kuroko hung on to his neck for dear life. The shorter boy nuzzled his head into his neck, breathing into it heavily. The warmth spread through Kagami's shoulders through his entire body, filling him with butterflies and a fire burning in his stomach.

By this point, Kagami had no idea what he was doing, and just did what felt most natural to him.

He lightly pressed his lips into Kuroko's light blue hair. The boy sighed a little in response.

Kagami then realised what he did, and started to blush furiously.

Okay, they were in a hospital. He would confess about his feelings after the visit. On the way to Kuroko's house.

Obviously Kagami would be walking him home, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I just made up his grandmother's name. And I know that Kagami isn't noticing anything unusual, and Kuroko isn't acting like how I said he would, but shhh. Shhhhhh. Suspend my canon and reinstate this one.


	5. Chapter 5

"Kagami-kun?" Kurko mumbled, his quiet voice even further muffled by the way he was curled into Kagami's neck. "As much as I appreciate this, I think we're obstructing the hallway."

Kagami reluctantly uncurled his arms. His face was still bright red, and even Kuroko had a small but of color under his eyes.

As they stood off to the side, normal hospital traffic resumed. They got a few strange looks, and even a few dirty glances. Kagami just kept his face stoic (minus the furious flush that hadn't subsided at all.)

"Kagami-kun? Can we go now?" Kuroko asked, pulling lightly at his shirtsleeve. Kagami looked down with a grin on his face, albeit a shy one.

"Of course."

So they walked down the hallway. And then, the crowd thinned out. They were approaching the private rooms now.

Room 504…505...506…507.

"In here, Kagami-kun."

Kuroko pushed open the door.

"Grandma? I'm back," Kuroko said. Kagami followed behind him. When his eyes glanced over the sparse room and landed on his grandmother, he stopped in his tracks.

She was the spitting image of Kuroko. She had powdery blue hair, wide eyes, and a small mouth. She even had a similar nose.

The only difference was that her wrinkled face broke into a wide smile at seeing them.

"Personality quirk. It's not hereditary," kuroko whispered to him. He took a seat in the chair that was already dragged up next to the hospital bed. Kagami bowed his head.

"Thank you for letting me visit, Mrs. Kuroko," He said respectfully. And loudly.

"Nonsense, it was no trouble. And please, call me Grandma!" She said strongly. Kagami was surprised. Who knew the sick and elderly could be so powerful?

Kagami rose his head and brought a chair close to her, similar to the fashion that Kuroko's chair was.

"You must be Kagami Taiga, hm?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes. I swear that everything that Kuroko has told you about me is untrue and I'm not at all like he described me and he was just talking about my twin that goes by the same name."

She laughed. "So I suppose that you aren't the redhead that is incredibly talented at basketball, is my grandson's closest friend, and is well on his way to making Seirin number one in Japan?"

Kuroko looked stricken. "Grandmother!"

Kagami's blush grew even more somehow. "Well, I mean, he could possibly be talking about me, yeah."

She smirked. "That's what I thought."

Kagami turned his attention to Kuroko. "I thought you said you told her about all my embarrassing stories?"

Before Kuroko could defend himself, his grandmother spoke instead. "So those were about you as well?"

Kagami tried to backtrack. "No, I mean, uh…"

'Grandma' wiggled her eyebrows. "I have you trapped!"

Kagami sighed in defeat. "You seem too, yes."

Kuroko allowed a corner of his mouth to curl upwards. "She verbally cornered you and got you to surrender? Two points to you, Grandma."

They high fived. Kagami had a wild look in his eyes.

"Points? And I'm getting double teamed? I demand a set of rules to be set out for reference from this point forward!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent like that, Kagami getting teased and Kuroko was smiling more and more. Grandma seemed like a great person, despite the fact she had nearly no resemblance to Kuroko.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in, please," Grandma said. A nurse entered the room and bowed her head.

"I just wanted to inform you that visiting hours end soon. There will be an announcement signalling it in about ten minutes." She then ducked out of the room, closing the door softly.

"You will come back again, won't you, Kagami-kun?" Grandma asked, pouting her lips slightly. She bore a resemblance to Kuroko's famously impossible-to-resist puppy eyed face he and Nigou had perfected. The same face that Kuroko was currently making.

"What is this, mutiny?" Kagami yelled, He calmed and said, "Of course, if you'd like me to."

Both of their faces brightened. Grandma smiled widely.  
"Please do!"

A voice came over the intercom announcing that all visitors should exit the building within the next five minutes.

The two teenagers stood up.

"Thank you for letting me visit, Grandma!" Kagami said, bowing deeply. Kuroko lowered his head. "See you tomorrow, Grandma."

She waved them off.

They exited the room, and turned down the hallway. It seemed quiet and echoey. It looked as if all the other visitors had left.

Kagami started to get butterflies in his stomach.

It was nearly time to do what he set out for.

Well, now was a bad time to chicken out.

He didn't want Kuroko to feel so oppressed and awful like he had described.

They were exiting the hospital. The dimming light cast a rosy glow over everything.

"Kuroko? I'm going to walk you home, okay?" Kagami said, uneasiness creeping into his voice.

Kuroko looked at him strangely. "Well, someone is really channeling Prince Charming. Are you okay? Are you sick?"

But Kuroko kept walking, and Kagami focused on following him.

Kagami laughed and ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Shut up. And no, I just like spending time with you. And I won't be able to see you a lot this week, will I? Let me take every opportunity I can."

Kuroko let a little bit of sadness slip into his usually steady voice. "You shouldn't say such things, Kagami-kun. You might give the other person the wrong idea."

Kagami flinched slightly. He was being overly affectionate to try and show that he cared. Had Kuroko interpreted it as him acting normal, and it just hurt him?

Shit.

That was not his intention.

Besides, it looked as if they were nearing the residential area, so they were close to Kuroko's house.

"What if I'm trying to give that impression? And the other person just can't allow themselves to believe it?"

Kagami had said those words very slowly, hesitating with every syllable. He had already let a gap stretch out before that point.

So Kuroko stopped, in front of an apartment complex. Kagami faced him, grabbing the door before the shorter one could escape.

"Can I kiss you?"

"As long as it's going to be followed by another."  
"Another? Slow down, crazy."

"Love makes you crazy."

It sure does, Kagami thought as he pressed his lips against Kuroko's softer ones.

He tasted like vanilla and happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End. Sorry about the huge update gap between the first three chapters and the last two.


End file.
